RFS feel-good update (9/14): We made you a map!
Hi all -
September is halfway over, we’ve been in quarantine for 6 months, and yet, we’re still here.
Before I get into candidate stories & updates, I have a bunch of org news for you…
First: We rolled out a new way for you to find a Run for Something candidate near you. Check out runforsomething.net/map to see where all our candidates are and how you can get involved. (Shout out to RFS programs associate Flonja Hoxha for getting this done!)
Next: We have a bunch of events & content dropping this week — here’s the day-by-day rundown…
Tuesday, 9/15: Unapologetically Progressive in Michigan - a free deep-dive into Michigan, with RFS alum Rep. Mari Manoogian, who flipped a seat in 2018, and current state legislative candidates Ranjeev Puri and Chokwe Pitchford.
Also Tuesday, 9/15: A new episode of Run for Something: The Podcast drops. This week we talk about Texas! I interviewed Rep. Erin Zwiener, who’s one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the state house, and Akilah Bacy, who’s running to flip one of the most competitive seats. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Wednesday 9/16: Our last Armchair Chat of the summer! More than 1 million people have tuned in over the last 11 weeks. In our final session, we’re talking to all-star video creator (and RFS volunteer) Taylor Benke and NowThis politics senior producer Allan Piper about how to make and promote good political videos. Join us for free or watch on Facebook.
Thursday 9/17: We’re partnering with the National Democratic Training Committee for a grassroots fundraiser with Senator Cory Booker. Tickets start at $25 — don’t miss out.
If you missed last week’s ~virtual house party~ with some of our New York candidates, you can catch up on YouTube here. We get deep into local issues (like trash pick-up) and talk about what the future of NYC looks like.
I know your calendar may be jam-packed, but if you’re craving good, hopeful, optimistic conversations about politics, our events (and the podcast!) will hit the spot.
In RFS candidates & alumni updates…
Last week was Election Day in Rhode Island and New Hampshire! Of the 42 candidates we had on the ballot, 34 are moving on to the general election. Some of the highlights:
Tiara Mack — a Black queer organizer, educator, and reproductive rights advocate — beat a 30-year incumbent with a long history of anti-abortion stances.
Brianna Henries won her primary and will be bringing her theater teacher enthusiasm to the Rhode Island state house
Leonela Felix walked more than 370 miles up and down her Rhode Island district; now she’s going to be their next representative.
Cynthia Mendes, Jonathon Acosta, and Brandon Potter also won primaries against incumbents in Rhode Island — they, along with Tiara, Leo, and Brianna, are 6 of the 9 challengers who beat incumbents on Tuesday in RI, which will make the state’s legislature substantially more progressive.
Natalie Quevedo won a primary against an 18-year incumbent in the NH state house.
RFS regional director (and state rep!) Manny Espitia won his primary!
A fun Run for Something fact: We’ve worked with nearly 100 candidates challenging Democratic incumbents this year alone.
There are Run for Something candidates on nearly every single down-ballot slate rolled out recently. At least 16 of our folks are on this list of 50 down-ballot races from Way to Lead; 7 of the Climate Cabinet’s 40 high-impact climate races are ours; 15 of the 47 Daily Kos endorsements are ours; and two of FutureNow’s latest 8 GiveSmart candidates are ours. No matter what lens you use to evaluate candidates, Run for Something candidates are part of the solution.
Michigan Rep. Mari Manoogian has a must-read op-ed in Teen Vogue about how state legislatures are the heart and soul of this election cycle — if we want to make people’s lives better, we have to win these chambers now.
VA Delegate Danica Roem has passed her fifth bill related to feeding hungry kids — this one, which passed unanimously, will feed up to 109,000 additional kids in Virginia by requiring eligible schools to opt in to a program providing free breakfast and lunches.
Denver School Board member Tay Anderson is part of a new class of Black leadership in the city, stepping up during the “twin pandemics” of COVID & the summer’s Black Lives Matters protests.
Rep. Sydney Batch flipped her seat in the North Carolina state house 2018; now she’s a vulnerable incumbent. Learn more about the state of the race.
"I used to believe, when I decided to run, I had this whole list of all these different reasons why I felt like, you know, maybe I wasn't the right person. But I look now and everything that I thought disqualified me actually qualified me." - Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta to ABC News on what new diverse candidates bring to the table.
Oklahoma City Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon is standing up against the police unions — as a result, she’s gotten a slew of angry emails, DMs, had her address published online, received death threats, and more. This is what women in office deal with.
State assembly candidates Francesca Hong and Kristina Shelton, and former candidate Nada Elmikashfi, are continuing to organize a multi-level coordinated response to the police violence in Wisconsin. Change can’t wait.
It’s worth watching this new video from Jessica Harrington, a teacher running to flip a state house seat in Florida.
There’s a lot going on right now, and a lot to be pessimistic about. But we’re going to get through this all the way we’ve survived the last six months (and last three and a half years): Together. Thanks for making this possible.
Hope you and yours are safe and sound,
Amanda